Run your floor on real numbers.
Cost accounting, inventory management, multi-division reporting, and margin discipline — done right. We help small and mid-sized manufacturers turn the complexity of production economics into clear, confident financial decisions.
We know the difference between standard cost and actual cost, between inventory on paper and inventory on the shelf, and how to read a multi-division P&L without losing the signal.
When the balance sheet finances the income statement.
Most manufacturers we meet for the first time aren't dealing with a sales problem. They're dealing with an infrastructure problem. Decisions get made in the rearview mirror because the financial engine to make them in real time was never built.
You can't tell which products, jobs, or divisions are actually making money.
Inventory on the books doesn't match what's on the shelf or in the yard.
No monthly close discipline, no working budget, no cash flow forecast.
AP is climbing faster than collections and the line of credit keeps growing.
Labor, overhead, and freight aren't being absorbed into COGS properly.
Pricing decisions are made on gut feel because the cost data isn't trustworthy.
Manufacturing-specific financial leadership.
Real manufacturing CFO work goes below the P&L line. Here's where we focus.
Cost accounting & standards
True standard costs by product, accurate overhead absorption, and variance analysis so you see margin erosion before it becomes a problem.
Inventory & working capital
Inventory counts that reconcile, aging that's tracked, and working capital management that frees up cash trapped in raw materials or WIP.
Product & division profitability
Contribution margin by product, customer, channel, and division. So you know which lines to push, which to prune, and which to re-price.
Cash flow & capex planning
Rolling cash forecasts that account for inventory cycles, customer terms, and equipment investments. So growth doesn't create a cash crisis.
Pricing & margin discipline
Cost-plus vs. market pricing analysis, pass-through strategies for raw material inflation, and margin governance on custom or low-volume work.
Bank & lender readiness
Financial statements that pass lender scrutiny, covenant compliance tracking, and the analysis banks actually want before they extend capacity.
The Turnaround Architecture.
For manufacturers in trouble — consecutive years of losses, no reporting cadence, balance sheet under strain — we deploy a three-pillar architecture designed to address each failure point in sequence.
Financial Infrastructure
Building the reporting backbone
- Fathom analytics for monthly close
- Standardized monthly reports
- Quarterly performance analysis
- Company & finance scorecard
Cash Flow Engineering
Profit First implementation
- Profit First methodology rollout
- Weekly cash flow communication
- Rolling cash flow forecasting
- Working capital structuring
Capital Structure & Strategy
Restructuring for growth
- Annual budgeting + baseline review
- Loan structuring (intercompany ITG)
- Long-term debt reduction strategy
- M&A engagement support
It works.
Most recent example: a multi-brand metal fabricator running on three years of losses with no reporting cadence and ~$2.74M in long-term debt straining the balance sheet.
Three years of losses ended in the company's most profitable year on record.
We deployed the Turnaround Architecture in early 2025. By year-end, the losing streak was over, nearly $800K of long-term debt was paid down, and leadership finally had the reporting cadence to make decisions in real time.
Curious about the underlying services?
See how our fractional CFO and financial operations services work across every industry we serve.
Build your financial engine.
Start with a Drake Check. We'll show you exactly where your manufacturing finances are leaking margin, cash, or visibility — and what we'd do about it.
Schedule your Drake Check